Prince Harry and Meghan's son isn't the first biracial royal baby – find out who is

The Sussexes introduced their baby boy on Wednesday

May 09, 2019 - 11:21 BSTAinhoa BarcelonaPrince Harry and Meghan Markle's son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor is not in fact the first biracial member of the royal family – find out who is

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex thrilled fans after introducing their baby boy to the world on Wednesday. And while many stated that Archie Harrison has made history as the first biracial baby to be born into the royal family in contemporary times, this is not strictly true. Lady Davina Windsor, who is 31st in line to the British throne, shares two children with her ex-husband Gary Lewis, a New Zealander of Maori descent.

The pair welcomed their first child, daughter Senna Kowhai, in June 2010 followed by their son Tāne Mahuta in May 2012. Davina and Gary married in 2004 but split last year. At the time of their wedding, Gary was the first person of known Maori descent to marry into the royal family.

Loading the player...

WATCH Harry and Meghan introduce baby Archie to the world

Davina may be quite far down the line of succession, but she is still a potential heir given that she is a legitimate descendant of King George V. Her parents are Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester – a cousin of the Queen on her father's side – and Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester.

Delving even further back in the royal family tree, it is possible that King George III and Queen Charlotte's 15 children were multiracial. Many historians believe that Queen Charlotte, who lived from 1744 to 1818, may have had distant African ancestry. She descended from Margarita de Castro e Souza, a 15th-century Portuguese noblewoman, who traced her ancestry to King Afonso III of Portugal and one of his mistresses, Madragana.

Lady Davina Windsor shares two children with her ex-husband Gary Lewis

However, there is no evidence of Madragana's race and given the huge generational gap between Madragana and Charlotte – some five centuries – Charlotte's possible African ancestry is estimated to be less than one percent.

Harry and Meghan's baby boy Archie made his debut on Wednesday afternoon when his parents gave an interview from St George's Hall, Windsor Castle. The couple later shared a photo on Instagram of the Queen meeting her eighth great-grandchild, with the caption: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pleased to announce they have named their firstborn child: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. This afternoon Their Royal Highnesses introduced Her Majesty The Queen to her eighth great-grandchild at Windsor Castle. The Duke of Edinburgh and The Duchess' mother were also present for this special occasion."

Register FOR HELLO!'s NEWSLETTER

By registering to HELLO!'s newsletter, you acknowledge that you have read and accepted hellomagazine.com's privacy policy, the cookies policy, and the website terms of use, and that you consent to hellomagazine.com using your data according to the established laws.
If you wish to change your mind and would like to stop receiving communications from hellomagazine.com, you can revoke your consent by clicking on "unsubscribe" in the footer of the newsletter.